HOLDEN has revealed plans to roll out a single-model strategy to more badges in its showroom, with the Commodore's complex nine-model line-up in its sights.

Holden moots model cull

HOLDEN has revealed plans to roll out a single-model strategy to more badges in its showroom, with the Commodore's complex nine-model line-up in its sights.

The latest Barina, launched last month, is now sold as a single model in the Holden line-up, with buyers needing to tick items such as foglights and exterior trim on the options list to individualise their car.

It's a strategy that Holden's executive director of sales and marketing, John Elsworth, wishes had caught on at the brand a lot earlier.

''It's something I wish we'd done with the [Barina] Spark [light car],'' he says. ''Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for the introduction of a new version of the Spark before we can do that.''

Sales of the city-friendly hatch's two-model line-up are split evenly among the entry-level Spark CD and the $2000 more expensive Spark CDX, which adds bigger alloy wheels, better cloth trim and comforts such as power rear windows - dealer-fit items that could easily fall to an options list.

Elsworth says he likes the single-model strategy as it means the brand does not have to have as many vehicles in dealerships to cover shifts in buyers' tastes.

He says the Barina strategy will act as a test bed for widening the model-reduction scheme to other badges, including the Commodore, which sells in nine forms in either sedan or wagon variants.

''We have to hold about 45 days in stock for the Commodore, whereas for something like the Spark we only have to hold 30 days' stock because it's a less complex model line-up,'' he says. ''[Holding stock] is expensive, so if we can do anything to reduce that, it will help.''